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Ten or more years ago we raised our own Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Rock chickens and Guinea fowl and enjoyed the fruit of their labor--all free range and locked them in coop at night if they went in. Guinea fowl eggs are our favorite. Coons, foxes, dogs and then the worst -great horned owls-they got the guineas at night whether the guineas were thirty feet in a big white oak or in a thirty foot scotch pine. The owls were the last straw--we no longer raise chickens. It was a good experience.

I didn't realize you got eggs from Guinea hens. What rate do they produce at? I really like the look of them. I was planning on getting chickens next year, but I might switch to Guineas if they produce a reasonable amount of eggs. I'm not planning on selling them. Home eggs just taste way better.

Raising chickens for eggs has been the #1 most effecient /expense & time /vs./ food return/ project I have done. Seems like it could be profitable especially if you have a market already or can easily make one.
Use brown egg layers, many are good producers, others are more for looks.
And get some Arucana green egg layers too. The reason for this is to put at least one green egg in every dozen. Patrons will marvel at the green and brown eggs and return to buy your interesting eggs. They aren't as productive as say barred rocks, but I think it is a good marketing thing. Adding some white ones might be nice too.
We have a few regular customers at $3 a dozen but haven't tried that hard. We don't have quite enough extra eggs to take it too seriously. Meat would be a part of it if we were getting serious about it. We just like eating lots of great eggs and having them around.

You really don't NEED anything but the chickens. They are about $5 for a good hen just hitting her peak, and they will lay about an egg a day in the summer, less or none in the winter--unless you give them artificial light. I don't see any reason to fence them unless you want to keep them from making messes where they shouldn't or have dogs roaming about that won't lay off them. A fence isn't going to deter any of the nightime predators. Dogs are the only thing I have ever had kill a chicken in the day.

Let them find their own perches if you want to "let it work." Make a small but secure coop from scrap or pallets if you want to reduce losses. But whatever you do, don't make an insecure coop--that is the surest way to lose them all in one go.

It's pure profit Bubba! Get a rooster too and let them raise a constant supply of little gals to replace the inevitable losses, and it won't cost you anything beyond the first purchase and the effort of making sure your shoes are clean before going in the house.

Re: Hardy Concord pullets

I have had Hardy Concords for 2 years now! Weasels got them last year! I have since armored my coop and am hoping for the best. All I know about this breed is it is a breed that a guy in Iowa made . I myself LOVE them! They are very hardy, very people friendly ( they follow me around the yard) they lay beautiful large brown eggs and they are a beautiful red/orange color! I would recommend these birds to anyone who is just starting out!